Deadline: 19-Oct-22
The European Commission (EC) has announced a call for proposals for the EIC Pathfinder Challenge: DNA-based Digital Data Storage.
This EIC Pathfinder Challenge is to explore scalable and reliable high-throughput approaches for using DNA as a general data-storage medium. Solutions would thus need to address the read/write/edit operations of digital data in synthetic DNA, capturing the expected advantages of high density and stability/longevity of this form of data storage.
The use of DNA sequences as chassis for non-standard forms of information coding, or of other polymeric substrates and related coding/decoding techniques are also in scope, provided they entail at least similar benefits than state-of-the-art DNA approaches.
Proposed techniques should deliver qualitative advances in key parameters such as throughput, DNA-length (well above a few hundred mers), reliability (coupling efficiency), speed and cost. Beyond the usual storage applications, there is also scope for radically different scenarios for such a technology, for instance for data-processing, in-vivo sensing or fingerprinting.
Objectives
The following specific objectives for this Challenge have been defined:
- new approaches for coding, decoding, modification or computational use of digital data in synthetic DNA or other sequence-controllable polymers with quantitative targets (theoretical and technological);
- Proof-of-Concept of technical feasibility with indications of at least state of the art benefits and major operational characteristics (e.g., extreme densities, longevity, stability) and going well beyond for some of them (e.g., speed, cost, accuracy);
- end-to-end scenarios of use, be it for data storage (archival, but also shorter term storage) or other purposes (like sensing, cryptography or computation) that exploit the benefits of the technology.
Funding Information
Up to Euro 167.00 Million available.
Expected Outcomes and Impacts
Proposals should contribute to achieving one or several of the following:
- a range of new techniques with clear benefits and steps towards widening scope of applicability of DNA-based data storage;
- broader range of scenarios and uses for DNA-based data technologies;
- emergence and anchoring of a European innovation eco-system on DNA-based data technologies and applications, including through involvement of relevant partners and end-users;
- contribution to standardisation in the field and benchmarks to gauche progress.
Eligibility Criteria
- Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisation (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Rules for Participation have been met together with any other conditions laid down in the specific call or topic.
- In order to be eligible for funding, the applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e., Member States (including their outmost regions and overseas countries and territories (OCTs)), countries associated to Horizon Europe and low- and middle-income third countries.
- In order to be eligible for funding, the applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- Member States of the European Union (including overseas countries and
- territories (OCTs))
- Eligible non-EU countries:
- countries associated to Horizon Europe
- Low- and middle-income countries.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3NXy2lr